Generally, a battery such as a primary battery and a secondary battery includes an electrode body including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and an container member housing the electrode body.
Presently, a metal can has been put to practical use as the container member housing the positive electrode and negative electrode or the like of the battery. In a sealed battery using the metal can, the opening of the metal can is sealed with a lid. A through hole for fixing an output terminal is present in the lid. The output terminal is fixed in a state where it passes through the lid up and down via a gasket made of resin or rubber. The gasket serves as an insulator avoiding direct contact between the output terminal and the lid. In this case, the output terminal includes a head part exposed from the external surface of the gasket and a shaft fitted into the gasket. The shaft of the output terminal is subjected to a pressure by a press including a punch which apples a pressure to the shaft perpendicularly to a direction in which the shaft extends to caulk the output terminal. The caulking expands the shaft and presses the cylindrical shaft of the gasket against the side wall of the through hole of the lid, to fix the output terminal and the gasket.
The lid of the metal can may have a structure for fixing the output terminal in order to exhibit high sealing performance of the battery together with the gasket. Such a structure can be formed by, for example, deep drawing or the like.
On the other hand, a laminate including a metal or metal layer and resin layer and having a small thickness can be used as the other container member housing the electrodes of the battery. Such a container member is generally more lightweight than the metal can. Therefore, the use of such a container member can provide a battery having a higher energy density per weight.